Interest rates
Philippines doesn't rule out rate hikes
The Philippines central bank isn't ready to stop increasing interest rates even though inflation has started to show an encouraging moderation, a central bank official told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview published on Wednesday 12 April.
BoJ's Fukui watching long-term rates closely
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui voiced concern over rising long-term interest rates on Wednesday 12 April as data showed further evidence of a solid economic recovery.
Liebscher hints at ECB rate rise
European Central Bank council member Klaus Liebscher signalled in an interview published Monday 10 April that the euro zone central bank may raise interest rates in June to curb inflation.
Perspectives on low global interest rates
This IMF Working Paper, published March 2006, looks at the dramatic decline in global real interest rates in recent years from a historical perspective and examines the various factors that may account for this trend.
RBNZ report on supplementary tools
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the Treasury on Thursday 6 April released a joint report on possible additional instruments to supplement the role of interest rates in managing demand pressures and inflation.
Ex-BoJ's Taya sees one rate rise by year-end
The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates once by the end of the year and twice in 2007, a former board member said on Thursday 6 April.
PBOC says not right time to raise rates
China will not raise interest rates at this time, a central bank official said, according to a report from the Xinhua news agency on Monday 3 April.
Comment: Exposed currencies cause jitters
The Central Bank of Iceland raised interest rates by 75 basis points last week. The central bank is concerned over the possibility of further declines in the Icelandic krona, which has fallen 12% against the US dollar this year.
Tumpel-Gugerell on ECB, Italy & Eastern Europe
In the speech 'The European Central Bank, Italy and the integration of Eastern Europe' given on 31 March Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said the ECB's track record of containing inflation means that it does not have to hike interest rates…
As rates rise, Asia's risky markets get riskier
The appetite for riskier Asian assets is strong, according to this article published Thursday 23 March, but rising interest rates raise the chance of investors dumping some of these assets and if sentiment turns suddenly, local markets could be…
Fed raises rates again
The Federal Open Market Committee decided Tuesday 28 March to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 4-3/4 percent.
Comment: More of the same from Bernanke
The Fed completed its first monetary policy meeting under the chairmanship of Ben Bernanke on Tuesday 28 March. The 25 basis point increase - taking US rates to 4.75% - was a mere formality, but Fed watchers were preparing to pore over the accompanying…
Trichet praises ECB's courage on rates
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said the ECB's "courageous" decision to maintain a low level of interest rates in recent years has meant a more marked slowdown in eurozone growth has been prevented and helped economic recovery.
Bank of England voted 8-1 to hold rates
Bank of England policymakers voted 8-1 to leave UK interest rates unchanged at their most recent meeting. Stephen Nickell remained the only member of the Monetary Policy Committee to vote for a cut in the cost of borrowing in March, the minutes released…
Trichet says no foregone decision on rates
Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, said on Monday 20 March that its governing council had not already decided to continue with a series of monthly rate increases.
Bet on the Fed pausing at 5 percent
Federal Reserve officials seem more likely to pause in raising their target for the overnight lending rate when it reaches 5 percent than to push it up to 5.5 percent, according to this article published Wednesday 15 March.
Norges Bank increases interest rates by 0.25%
Norges Bank's Executive Board decided on Thursday 16 March to raise the sight deposit rate by 0.25 percentage point to 2.50 per cent with effect from 17 March.
SNB hikes rates as expected
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) raised interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday 16 March, saying that the economy is gaining further momentum and is becoming increasingly broad-based.
Excess liquidity clinches case for ECB rate rises
According to this recent article, several factors, including a lack of dissenting voices on the ECB Governing Council, have persuaded financial markets in recent days that the ECB is heading faster than previously expected toward an interest rate of 3…
BoJ's Mizuno says rate hikes necessary - report
Atsushi Mizuno, a Bank of Japan policy board member, has said that raising interest rates is necessary to have some flexibility in managing monetary policy, Jiji Press reported.
RBNZ leaves OCR unchanged at 7.25 per cent
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced on Thursday 9 March that its Official Cash Rate (OCR) will remain on hold at 7.25 per cent.
Swedish Riksbank unanimous in rate hike decision
The Swedish Riksbank's board was unanimous in its 22 February decision to raise the repo rate by 0.25 pct to 2 pct, according to the minutes of the meeting published Wednesday.
Comment: Has the ECB become more credible?
A recent New York Fed staff paper finds that market perceptions of the ECB's "inflation aversion" have improved significantly over the last six years, reflecting the idea that monetary policy has been guided by a dedication to price stability.
Bank of Canada raises rates to 3.75%
The Bank of Canada announced Tuesday that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 3 3/4 per cent.